Addressing the media after the weekly Cabinet meeting today, he said residents of Subash Nagar had urged the government to remove the disparity in permissible FSI between parts of `M' ward and other suburbs. ``While railway land has an FSI of one, most of `M' ward had an FSI of only 0.75. Moreover, the BARC which was earlier against additional FSI, has given its NoC for the increased FSI,'' he said, referring to the state government's controversial proposal to gift aditional FSI to `M' ward by allegedly bypassing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

The FSI in `M' ward was restricted to 0.75 to control population density in the area for safety measures as important installations like the BARC, Naval Armament Depot, RCF, Indian Oil refineries are located there. However,for Rane whose constituency falls in M ward, representations made by a few residents was reason enough to override the provisions of the city's Development Plan as well as the Development Control Regulations, 1991 to limit the population density.

Local Congress corporator Ravindra Pawar, who raised the issue last week, said even Mayor Hareshwar Patil did not allow discussion on the issue when he raised it under Section 66(B) of the BMC Act during the BMC's meeting on Monday.

Further, the BMC, which failed to table the proposal for objections and suggestions within the stipulated time, has now decided to discuss it at a meeting of its Improvements Committee tomorrow. However, Pawar points out, that is just a formality as the last date for suggestions was June 24.